What Causes Tailbone Pain After Pregnancy?

A tailbone is located at the bottom of the birth canal. When the infant comes through the birth canal, she comes into immediate touch with the tailbone. Due to certain factors and instances, this may cause tailbone pain after pregnancy.

Pregnant moms who have had previous tailbone injuries are more likely to have another tailbone injury during childbirth. Although this bone is small, it can play a significant role in the pelvic, low back, and even hip discomfort during pregnancy and postpartum. Some women face pain issues like hip pain, rib pain, sciatic pain, and jaw pain during or after pregnancy. However, prenatal medical assistance can help you prevent such health issues after the pregnancy.

How can the tailbone get hurt during childbirth?

The pressure of a baby moving through the delivery canal might bruise, dislocate, or even fracture your tailbone. Fractures aren’t frequent, but some women hear a crack or pop when their tailbone fractures.

• The tailbone (or coccyx) comprises the final three to five vertebrae of the spinal column – for most people, it’s four. The highest vertebra of the coccyx may or may not be united with the one below it, while the lower three vertebrae are generally fused. Some pelvic muscles and ligaments link to the tailbone.
• The five fused vertebrae above the tailbone are termed the sacrum. A junction between the coccyx and the sacrum normally allows for minimal mobility.
• You’re more prone to tailbone pain after pregnancy if your kid is particularly large or in an awkward position or if your pelvis is very small or weirdly formed. The form and movement of the coccyx may have a role, too. 
• Women who have previously hurt their tailbone have an increased chance of damaging again during vaginal birth.

How does tailbone pain feel?

If you hurt your tailbone, you may have overall discomfort and most severe pain when you sit. You may have discomfort when rising from a sitting to a standing position or straining to have a bowel movement.

What Factors Cause Tailbone Injury During Childbirth? 

Tailbone injury during birth happens when the infant travels through the birth canal and comes into touch with the tailbone. If the mother’s tailbone is properly placed, it stretches back to allow the baby to pass through.

However, some women’s tailbones are stuck forward, causing the baby to pass through with force. This pressure can even cause the tailbone to dislocate, resulting in muscle spasms and discomfort in the pelvic floor.

A tailbone injury during delivery can occur due to a variety of factors, including:

When a baby is born face up, the back of the head pushes against the tailbone.

• Babies weighing over 8 pounds, 13 ounces
• Difficult or complicated labor
• Medical negligence
• Small or narrow pelvis
• Use of forceps or vacuum delivery

Furthermore, if a woman has previously fractured her tailbone, she is more likely to have another tailbone injury during childbirth.

What are the other possible causes of tailbone discomfort?

Other tailbone causes may include Sitting on an uncomfortable seat, such as a hard bench or pew, for several hours. Trauma, such as falls and accidents, can cause tailbone discomfort or break and fracture the tailbone. Here are a few other possible causes of tailbone pain.

• Falling – Perhaps you fell from a ladder. Or perhaps you were leaning too far back in your workplace chair and fell. A hard fall might cause your tailbone to bruise, shatter (fracture), or dislocate (knock out of place) (coccyx).
• Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) – Bicycling and rowing are two sports that demand you to lean back and forth and extend your spine. Excessive repetition of such action might strain the tissues around your coccyx.
• During Pregnancy – A woman’s body produces hormones that soften the region between the sacrum and the tailbone during the third trimester of pregnancy. This softness allows the coccyx to shift as needed during labor. This shifting is a normal procedure, but it can strain the muscles and ligaments around the tailbone too much, causing further pain. 
• Obesity – Extra weight puts a heavy burden on the tailbone. As a result, the coccyx may tilt backward. If your tailbone is out of position, it will ache.
• Underweight – If you don’t have enough fat in your buttocks to keep your coccyx from rubbing on your muscles, ligaments, and tendons, this might lead to. The rubbing causes swelling of the soft tissues.
• Sitting – This simple action might worsen tailbone discomfort, particularly if you’re seated on a hard or narrow surface. Make an effort to get up frequently, stretch, and go for a short exercise. Better still, find a softer, more comfortable seat or utilize a cushioned seat.
• Cancer – Tailbone discomfort is just an indication of cancer in rare circumstances. It’s really unlikely.

How to get rid of tailbone pain after pregnancy?

While you can’t change the causes that cause your tailbone pain after pregnancy, there are a few things you may attempt to alleviate the discomfort.

• Apply either cold or heat to your tailbone – When pain strikes, opt for an ice pack or a heating pad—”whichever feels better.
• Lay down on your side – If you have the option of sitting or lying down on your side since it relieves pressure on your tailbone.
• Get an over-the-counter pain medication – Tylenol, which is known to be safe to take during pregnancy, is a viable alternative in this case.
• Purchase a unique cushion – Using a donut cushion, which is a round pillow with a hole in the center, can assist reduce strain when sitting.
• Experiment with yoga – Stretching techniques through yoga may “work miracles.

Is tailbone pain treated with surgery?

These treatments will usually ease your discomfort until your tailbone heals. If no other treatment works, your doctor may offer surgery to remove part or all of the tailbone as a final option. A coccygectomy is a medical term for this treatment. The doctor may recommend surgical options include:

• Partial coccygectomy (removal coccyx partially)
• Total coccygectomy (removal of the entire coccyx)

Surgery does not usually work immediately. It may take some time for the discomfort to diminish. In certain circumstances, it just does not function. Infection is one of the risks associated with surgery.

After consulting your doctor, you can decide whether to have the surgery or not, considering his/her opinion.

Begin with at-home pain-relief treatments such as physiotherapies, heat, and massage. If your tailbone continues to hurt, see your doctor, who can help you discover a therapy that works for you.

The conclusion

To avoid various complications, including tailbone pain after pregnancy, you can consult a gynecologist at Cloudnine Jayanagar. Consulting a Woman health specialist through the pregnancy may help you lower various risks and complications. You can consult a maternity specialist to avoid postpartum complications. An orthopedic doctor can manage the tailbone during and after pregnancy as they can suggest the best possible treatment.